Motorists hit hefty fines at Atlantic City Expressway Toll Booth 41 in Sicklerville | Action News Investigation

SICKLERVILLE, New Jersey (WPVI) — The Action News investigative team is working to get answers to a toll issue on a busy stretch of the Atlantic City Expressway before the Memorial Day travel weekend.

Drivers who use the cash toll say it only works sporadically and that they continue to be hit with hefty fines despite paying the 0.75 cent fee.

Several drivers told the investigative team that they had racked up thousands of dollars in violations despite paying tolls.

The toll booth in question is located in the east and westbound lanes of the AC Expressway at Exit 41 in Sicklerville.

Jennifer Rosen is one of those frustrated drivers. She posted a video on social media showing herself paying money into the toll and it not working. Her video has since garnered thousands of views.

She said she pays her tolls but has still racked up nearly $18,000 in violations and fees over the years. She refuses to pay for something she has already paid for.

“There were times when I threw in $1.50 because I just wanted it to go green,” she said. “I just don’t want to deal with these violations anymore.”

Violations will result in a $50 administration fee, so the debt may increase.

“I come here about three times a day, so it adds up quite a bit,” she added.

As we exited earlier this month, other drivers stopped and said they too had paid tolls and been fined.

Labre Sewell stopped to say she owed nearly $8,500.

“I tried to get an EZ Pass, but they said I wasn’t eligible because I owed them money,” Sewell said.

Sewell said she fills the bucket with change several times a day because she works as a delivery worker.

She told us that there were still reports of violations and that this had to stop.

“I already gave you my money, your machine is broken, and now I’ll give you more money,” she said.

Ayanna Bell has also shared videos of herself feeding the defunct toll booth several times this month, telling us she owes hundreds in fines.

“It still says I owe 25 cents. I put three quarters in there!” she said in one of the videos.

In another Bell film, she said, “I just put in .75 and it still says ‘pay fare.'”

The toll is administered by the South Jersey Transportation Authority. Back in 2020, we reported on issues with the E-ZPass system at the same toll plaza.

At that time, the agency informed us that the problem had been resolved.

Therefore, the investigation team reported back a week and a half ago to get answers to the current problems with cash tolls.

Late Wednesday, the SJTA told us it inspects toll booths daily and said an apparent malfunction at the toll booth does not always mean one has occurred.

However, SJTA acknowledged that there had been 172 complaints over a two-year period. The agency told the investigation team that it would not comment on individual accounts but was conducting thorough investigations.

Rosen hopes that bringing attention to the problem will finally solve it.

“I want this toll to finally be fixed. I want to be able to go through and put money in without having to worry, ‘Oh my God, am I going to violate the toll again?'”

We passed on the names of the drivers who complained to us to the SJTA.

We will continue to press for the agency to receive answers to our questions.